


I won't rest till it's all done and said

by order_n_chaos



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Lawyers, Angst, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Rivalry, Smut, lawyer!YoungK, lawyer!jae
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:21:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25676515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/order_n_chaos/pseuds/order_n_chaos
Summary: All Jae wants is to help his friend Sungjin to get the best out of his divorce. Too bad that his enemy Brian has different plans.And thus the battle between the best lawyers of the city starts.
Relationships: Kang Younghyun | Young K/Park Jaehyung | Jae
Comments: 27
Kudos: 111





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happens when I binge-watch a show. That was too much Suits the last week. Story inspired by the series, title inspired by Dave not Dave - Cold Blood.
> 
> Oh, this story plays in America. I have no idea about the law and I kinda half-assed my research about divorce and cases and how things work, so take everything with a big grain of salt!
> 
> Am I happy with this story? Probably not. I kinda have a writer's block, so this is me trying to get over it. I tried to do a one-shot, but somehow I am incapable of that... so enjoy a two-shot.

“From the beginning on Mrs. Park was only out for my client’s money that she now tries to get by claiming sole custody for their child and asking for a horrendously high settlement.” His finger taps against the desk with each word to accentuate his accusation, watching the man’s face across him flinching with each pound while the woman next to him regards him with a cold face.

The man wipes the sweat off his forehead, scrambling for his papers on the desk. “You have no proof for your accusation,” the lawyer tries weakly, then clears his throat to get his next point better across. “Mrs. Park has profound reasons for the divorce and is only claiming what is lawfully hers. Mr. Park meanwhile proved throughout their marriage that he is a bad father to the child—”

“Pah,” Jae chuckles coldly and gives his client a smirk before he intertwines his fingers and leans forward to the sweating lawyer. “My client devoted his everything to his marriage even though that woman blackmailed him into using that child. It’s an ancient trick; wave the thing people want the most in front of their face and then threaten to take it away. Puff, you suddenly get anything you want served on a silver plate. Your client is neither getting sole custody for the child nor a penny out of this divorce.”

Mrs. Park suddenly stands up from her seat and throws a nasty glance to Jae and his client. “Be warned, Jae Park, I won’t lose this divorce. Pay me or we’ll see each other in court again.”

Her lawyer scrambles hastily after her while Jae waves them with a confident smirk on his lips. People don’t call him the best lawyer for nothing. There is no ‘impossible’ in the dictionary of Jae Park. He has earned his place on the wall of their firm. That woman will see what he has in store for her. No one messes with his friends, not if Jae can help it.

And since she doesn’t want an out-of-court settlement Jae has to destroy her in court. His specialty.

“I can’t thank you enough, man.” His client, good old friend Sungjin, exhales deeply and smiles back at Jae, clasping his hand over Jae’s expensive blazer. “I’m so glad if things are finally over.”

“I told you from the beginning that she’s a witch.”

Jae remembers too well. Years ago when Sungjin came to him with the confession that his girlfriend is pregnant and he can’t leave the child alone in her hands, Jae had shook his head and told him not to fall for her games. A week later Sungjin came to him again, this time as a married man. But Jae’s a good friend, so he congratulated him first and then offered him his service as a lawyer second. A prenup is never a bad idea in such situations – another foolish thing Sungjin did by declining it. Love makes you a fool.

Sungjin sighs as he has heard Jae’s nagging often enough over the years. “I know, I know. I was wrong and you were right.”

“Jae doesn’t need more encouragement to boost his immense ego.”

Sungjin’s eyes instantly start to gleam at the arrival of Wonpil and a smile slowly grows on his face. Jae wants to throw up at the display of those two crushing on each other. At least Wonpil has the decency to be not so obvious.

“My ego’s perfectly normal.”

“It’s bigger than this building,” Wonpil snorts and starts to collect the papers on the desk, then puts another file in front of Jae. It elicits a chuckle from Sungjin. “Your two pm appointment is waiting in your office.”

“Then I shall take my leave. Hopefully I won’t stumble over my big ego.”

“We see each other in court?”

Jae throws Sungjin finger pistols, stopping once to wink at him. “We’re gonna get her, promise. The jury’s going to eat out my hand.”

~~~

What is there to say about Jae Park?

His corner office has the most precious view of beautiful New York, without a doubt a beautiful scenery, especially at night. A full window front behind his desk, something he can turn to once he needs a fresh look away from all the papers on his desk and even more documents on his computer.

His suits are all from posh designer brands, only the bests of the bests. His closet is a bigger room than some people’s flats, equipped with enough storage for his many watches, shirts, slacks, hoodies, polished shoes and so on. His apartment has an outlook that is even prettier than the one in his office.

People love his chill personality, his talent of arguing his way out of situations and his smart approach to life. A perfect love life, friends to spend the money he earns much of, on top of the New Yorker lawyer scene. Jae loves his life even though Wonpil likes to describe it as lonely.

“I have you,” Jae reminds him again and again. His secretary and partner ever since Jae had started as junior partner in this firm, one of the youngest in his firm’s history. His Harvard diploma hangs proudly in his office.

“And Sungjin.” His friend from Harvard, the old roommate that somehow has never left Jae even when he was only a pitiful good-for-nothing in face of the top of his class. Jae still grits his teeth if he thinks about it. “And that guy from downstairs. The IT-one, y’know?”

Wonpil always eyes him then with a disappointed look and corrects him, “You mean Dowoon?”

“Yeah, right!”

And apparently Dowoon. The IT-guy from downstairs. They work at the same place and—well, that sums up what Jae knows about him. Oh, and that Dowoon works meticulously and brings him valuable evidence once his traditional sources fail him.

Really, what else does Jae need in his life? Life is good, life is easy, life is exactly where it should be. Jae on top of the world, no one better than him. He knows that he sits on a high horse and someday someone will eventually push him down from that, but for now he is content.

Minus the Sungjin predicament. Well, nothing Jae can’t solve, right?

Jae currently stands in court and waits for the judge’s arrival. Sungjin next to him looks confidently ahead because they both know that this is going to be quick and dirty. Jae has no doubt that he can win this within half an hour looking at the opposing lawyer. That sweating wreck doesn’t have a chance against Jae. You only need to look at the empty seat next to Mrs. Park to know that the man is probably shitting his pants in this exact moment.

“Jae.”

A tap against his shoulder. Jae glances back to Wonpil behind him, who wears a face that only speaks of trouble.

“What is it?”

The door of the judge suddenly opens and the judge walks in, an impatient woman that looks like she wants to be anywhere else than here.

“Mrs. Park changed her lawyer last minute.”

They all sit down once the judge tell them to.

“Who?” Because there’s currently no lawyer sitting next to Mrs. Park. The judge throws him a look when she hears him whispering, a small warning leaving her lips.

“Mrs. Park, I see that the seat next to yours is empty,” the judge’s voice bellows through the room. “I take it that you are defending yourself then?”

Mrs. Park shakes her head and smiles lightly at the judge. “I’m sorry, but my lawyer will arrive any second now.”

Jae hears the tell-tale crinkle of a paper behind him. Even Sungjin frowns at Wonpil’s less than obvious try to give Jae the paper. Hell, even the judge catches him.

“Mr. Park—” Both Jae and Sungjin whip their heads to the judge. “The lawyer. We’re in a courtroom here and not in high school. If I see you exchanging papers one time again, I will send you out of the room.”

“Understood, your honor.”

However, Jae still tries to catch a glance at the paper between his fingers when suddenly the doors open and another figure strides down the way to the court. Jae’s face contorts in irritation at the newcomer.

He should have smelled this the minute Wonpil told him she changed lawyers.

“I’m sorry I’m late but last-minute changes are always bumpy, right?”

The way he smiles, all sleazy and smug, Jae feels his hackles rising. Fuck, he hates this man, his sworn enemy ever since Harvard. Remember top of the class? That’s him, the lawyer in that three-piece suit that hugs his every curve as if the court is a catwalk and not some serious shit. Brian Kang, top of the world just like Jae, charming people off their asses and his way out of impossible situations.

Wonpil always points out that Jae and Brian aren’t that much different, but Jae would have none of it. Nothing in this world can make Jae see Brian as his equal. Nope, never, nada. He has his pride and Brian is a thorn in his immaculate life.

“I don’t appreciate people that are late,” the judge reprimands him sharply, her lips in a tight frown. It doesn’t bother Brian in any way, the fucker is still smiling as if Christmas brought him more presents than he deserves. Hell, he even has the nerve to throw him a confident smile to which Jae only huffs in annoyance. “Now that Mrs. Park’s lawyer has finally arrived, we can start the session.”

“If I can have a word, your honor,” Brian immediately jumps in and rises from his seat. The judge motions for him to continue. “I’d like to ask for a postponement. I only got the case ten minutes ago and didn’t have much time to prepare myself.”

The judge is about to say something about it, but Jae has different plans. He scoffs loudly as he leans back in his chair, throwing Brian a challenging gaze. “I thought you are that good. Ten minutes should be enough for you to build a case, right?”

Jae isn’t above playing dirty, never was and never will be. Every mean is fine with him as long as it brings him to his desired end. Another win over Brian is something very much desired as it would finally turn the tide to his favor.

“Mr. Park—”

The judge tries to scold him again, but Brian butts in this time. “I could beat you even without knowing any details. I just thought I’m giving you a fair treatment by postponing the trial.” The judge looks angrier with every sentence they throw at each other. Jae couldn’t care any less about her.

“I’d wipe the floor with your ass within seconds, there’s no chance you can win this case.”

“Don’t overestimate yourself. Losing has never been a good look on you. We want to preserve your dignity at least a bit, right?”

“My dignity? You’re the one who will—”

“That’s enough!” The judge’s hammer hits the table in a loud beat, silencing the quarrel between the enemies. Where she was only annoyed a minute ago, she looks like murdering someone right now. “You two are professional lawyer’s and not children. Exchanging papers, coming late to an important appointment and then disputing in my courtroom? Misbehave one time again and I will kick you out. Both of you.”

“Your honor, I’m sorry and I agree with you,” Brian, always the ass kissing bootlicker, tries to win over the judge with his handsome smile. Jae scoffs loudly at the obvious try. “The opponent’s lawyer is obviously not fit for such a case. Why should he represent a man in a divorce if he himself plays with dirty tricks? He’s a relationship-phobic and self-centered man who only cares about his own money and person.”

_What the fuck?!_

“Objection, your honor!” Jae suddenly jumps from his place, putting his hands loudly on his table. He gets what Brian is trying to do. “My person has nothing to do with this case!”

“I have to agree with Mr. Park, Mr. Kang. Please refrain from—”

“I’m trying to make a point here.” Brian points his finger to Jae, leaving his place in front of the table to pace in the middle of the room. “Consider what kind of man Mr. Park here is and then ask yourself, what does it say about his client? Because Sungjin Park and Jae Park have been friends for at least ten years. The people you surround yourself with tell a lot about you as a person.”

“What is your point, Mr. Kang?”

Jae can’t let him get through with it. “Your honor, this is defamation against my person! This case is about Mr. and Mrs. Park’s marriage and not about what kind of person my client is!”

“But it is!” Brian exclaims loudly and looks at Jae. His eyes say, _I got you._ Fuck, that was a trap, Jae realizes too late. “A divorce is about the people involved in here. Our clients have disagreements on nearly every topic concerning the settlement. Your side claims that my client is a money-hungry whore who only cares about herself, which she definitely isn’t! I’m only presenting here the possibility that Mr. Sungjin Park, too, isn’t what he seems to be at first glance.”

He then turns back to the judge, motioning with his hand to Jae and Sungjin. “This is why I need more time to prepare the case and to find out who Sungjin Park really is. To protect my client and come to an agreement in her best interest. In both clients’ best interests.”

Jae tries to rebut for a last time. “Your honor, this is bullshit and you know that! Mr. Kang—”

“Even without your moving speech the court would have granted you a postponement, Mr. Kang.” But that wasn’t the point, Jae wants to cry. “Next time, Mr. Kang and Mr. Park, you will behave in my court. I expect fully prepared and punctual lawyers and not two high school students who think the world revolves around their rivalry. Court is hereby adjourned.”

“Fuck,” Sungjin suddenly curses under his breath, but Jae is too preoccupied by the other lawyer in the room. Jae is fuming in anger, he wants to throttle the other to death. Especially when Brian winks at him while he leaves the room. “What was that about?!”

“Man, he teared you apart,” Wonpil helpfully comments and only spurs his anger.

The room slowly empties and Jae waits for the right moment that he can smack his papers onto the table and fall back into his chair with a loud huff. “Fucking shit. I hate this guy.”

But where Jae is fuming in his seat, Sungjin is very much alarmed. His friend grabs his arm and glares at him. “Jae, tell me that your rivalry with Brian won’t affect this case.”

“As if,” Wonpil snorts and starts to massage Sungjin’s shoulder. “It means that Jae has to work twice as hard than before.” And before Sungjin can curse even more Wonpil adds a mirthful, “But it also means that you’ll get more than you bargained for in case you win.”

“I’ll win this,” Jae swears whole heartedly, still staring into the room as he contemplates his next move. “There’s no way in hell that I lose to fucking Kang. Not after the shit-show he just pulled. Relationship-phobic and self-centered? Who does he think he is?!”

“He isn’t wrong though—”

“Not the right moment, Wonpil. He discredited me in front of the judge to influence her opinion on Sungjin, too.”

And anyone who messes with Jae’s friend will see it coming back to them. Jae will make sure that his revenge will be bitter-sweet.

~~~

First year in college was for Jae to prove people that he wasn’t the kind of guy everyone thought him to be. Maybe he was still lanky and loved to start an argument with anyone who even breathed wrongly in his direction. Jae, however, was determined to make something out of this. He had the choice between poli-sci and law and once Harvard accepted him for a law degree, his decision was made.

Jae was one of the best, which wasn’t good enough for an aspiring lawyer. Jae wanted to be the best, the top of all. He would then get a position in a highly regarded law firm and work his way up until he finally gets it: his name on the wall. He had everything he needed for it; he was charming, street-smart and highly intelligent.

“And this concludes my argument, your honor. This is why the accused deserves to be sent to jail for at least five years.” Jae slammed the thick folder onto his desk in front of the lecture hall and smiled confidently that he could win this mock trial. His argument was without a flaw, the evidence backed up his case and the jury, especially the cute one in the front row, loved him. There was no way that Jae would lose this time, especially not with his closing argument. It was the right average between emotional and emphasizing the most relevant facts.

His opponent, though, didn’t look as defeated as Jae thought he would. No, his enemy ever since day one only smirked at him before he left his place behind his desk and wandered over to the jury, then glanced over the whole lecture hall. He cocked his head, his eyes half-lidded and head ducked—it made Jae’s blood boil. Where Jae worked hard throughout the night to make a solid case in search for justice, Brian only made pretty eyes for the jury and put on an act that was worth an Oscar.

“Let’s be honest, alright?” Brian’s voice bellowed through the lecture hall even though his voice was soft and calm. His eyes glistened in the light. “I won’t deny what my client—what Mr. Smith did. As the prosecution has proved you the last few hours evidence is solid and points to one thing: the truth. And that is what every lawyer, every human being should aspire in their life: To be honest to others and to be honest with yourself.”

A dramatic pause, a deep breath and his head tucked to his chest. Jae was inclined to believe his act if only he wouldn’t know how Brian ticked.

“And that’s why Mr. Smith confessed his wrong-doings – but not because he got pressured to do so or because I told him to. He confessed because he knows that the victim deserves it. That he deserves the truth and nothing but the truth.”

His voice grew determined with every word he said. Everyone in the room was glued to his lips, eager to hear what would follow because so far, Brian only agreed to everything Jae had pointed out today. What was his plan? What was it that would ultimately lead to Jae’s downfall? There was no other way this would turn out, not if Brian was pulling out every stop.

“However.” Brian was firm, determined, his eyes hardened at what would follow. “Just like Mr. Smith knows that the truth has to be treasured, we all owe him to listen to his truth. And his truth doesn’t stop with the fact that he assaulted the victim. No, it goes even further.

“Mr. Smith was desperate because he has a small child that needs him as there isn’t anyone else to take care of it. He was only trying to make the best out of a hopeless situation and for him, after trying to do it the right way, the only thing left was to steal the victim’s money and use it to buy food for his child. No one could have guessed that it would end like this, especially not the defendant who expresses his regrets and guilt and sorrow with every breath he takes.

“This is why I am asking you, each one of you, to consider his truth, too. That’s what he deserves. Thank you for your attention.”

“This is bullshit,” Jae uttered under his breath and nearly snapped his pen apart. The boy next to him, some random fellow student who played the victim, slid away from Jae when he started fuming in his seat.

Brian gave the most heartfelt and illogical speech that Jae had ever heard in his life, making it all about human moral and ethics and empathy, even though Jae had just proven that the accused acted out of selfish reasons. Hell, Jae had proven in a way that the guy was a pretty good actor with crocodile tears.

But he could see it in the eyes of the jury, how they considered Brian’s words and how they should decide on it. It shouldn’t matter, Jae had won anyway. The guy would go to jail if this case was real, all thanks to Jae.

“Let me ask you a question, Mr. Kang, Mr. Park.”

Their lecturer stood in front of them with the students in her back. Jae and Brian faced them all while waiting for the jury to come back with their verdict. Jae’s finger tapped against his thigh to get rid of the nervous thrumming in his veins, something that would hopefully vanish with experience. Jae didn’t want to be the kind of lawyer who would think too much about his case. He needed to be emotionally and personally detached from it. This was all about the client and only about the client.

“Between the both of you, who made the better job of representing your client?”

Jae hated it when lecturers made them do that. Evaluating themselves to gain a sense of reflection and self-judgement. Jae knew that this was a trick question and he had to think about what to answer. As it seemed neither Jae nor Brian were too hot on complimenting the other, albeit Jae had a lot to say. Negative, of course.

“I am content with my work,” Jae eventually admitted and wanted to continue. The lecturer, however, cut him off.

“I didn’t ask if you are happy with your work. I asked who made the better job? And please, keep in mind the specific tasks that you got from me before the mock trial.”

“My task was to strive for the highest punishment Mr. Smith could get for his criminal act,” Jae recounted, his fingers balling into fists.

“Mr. Kang?”

Brian smiled confidently at her. Did Jae miss anything? “Mine was to get the lowest punishment as possible.”

“Which you weren’t able to,” Jae kindly pointed out, yet he earned a raised eyebrow from his lecturer. “There’s no way that Mr. Smith will walk out as a free man. I made a solid case and Kang couldn’t find any holes in there.”

“But that wasn’t my task.” Jae stilled when Brian cocked his head to him, looking at him as if he was looking down on him, eyes half-lidded and that goddamn smile on his lips. “I knew right from the beginning that your case would be solid. I mean, it wasn’t a difficult task to begin with, but I have to give it to you that you did the best you were able to.” Jae frowned in confusion and tried to understand what exactly Brian wanted to tell him. “However, I wasn’t striving for making him a free man in the first place. I was only trying to get a less severe punishment than the highest one. There is no way that Mr. Smith is going to jail for five years. Two years on parole sounds more possible.”

And when the jury eventually returned to the room to announce exactly what Brian had said, two years on parole, Jae finally caught up on his mistake. His facts and evidence weren’t worth a thing if his opponent was appealing to the most human morals – respect, justice, truth. Brian played them all, Jae, the jury, his fellow students. Mr. Smith was a cold man who didn’t care about his daughter, yet he got two years on parole so he could be there for her. Jae had not once proved that the man’s sister was actually caring for the child and never got any money from Mr. Smith.

He thought that they all would see through the act, see through the man who was smiling behind his crocodile tears. In the end, they all got blinded by the nice smile and words Brian threw at them.

If Brian taught him one thing on that day, then that it didn’t matter who your client was. No matter how bad and dirty his actions were, you had to put out the best in their interest – not that of all humankind. A moral that disgusted Jae, that he didn’t want to live by.

But it wouldn’t harm if Jae played with dirty rules from then on, too.

“You know nothing about this world,” Brian had once whispered into his ear after that mock trial, just a moment before Jae lunged at him.

Jae knew much about the world. He knew enough to despise Brian for his existence. The charmer, the contortionist, the man without morale, the man who would do anything for a victory despite of who his client was.

“You know nothing about me,” Brian had then whispered into his naked shoulder, just a moment before the door closed in front of him, his smile never leaving Jae’s mind from then on.

~~~

The IT of their firm is always a place blanketed in darkness, lighted by the many screens in there. Where bodies vanish into the darkness, faces are touched by blues and whites.

Jae walks into the IT and searches for the man he needs, his biggest hope if he wants to be a step ahead in Sungjin’s case. With the evening progressed as far as it is now, only one head sits in the room. Exactly the one who Jae needs right now.

“Late night?”

Dowoon looks up to him with bright eyes and leans back in his seat. “I knew you’d be coming to be sooner or later.”

“Ah,” Jae hums and cocks his head. “Wonpil talked to you?”

“Told me every embarrassing detail about your run in with Kang today.”

His smile very much wants to vanish from his face, but Jae widens it even more, just to show Dowoon that it doesn’t get to Jae as much as it actually does. “Maybe I should cut his salary, so he stops gossiping about me.”

“That probably won’t stop Wonpil from doing it,” Dowoon chuckles and shakes his head. The air between clears quickly and Dowoon sobers with it. “I am a bit confused, Jae. I already dug up much about Sungjin’s wife. I don’t know if I can find even more.”

“Ah, no, I want something different.” Hard to believe but not once has Jae ever done that what he will assign to Dowoon. The thought is luring him in, has been so for the past few years, but after the shit show today Jae is much determined to do it. “I want you to find any dirt on Brian Kang.”

Jae hasn’t anticipated the smile he receives from Dowoon. “I was waiting for this day to happen, you know? I already did some research on him but came up with nothing. The guy is clean, at least on what I can find out there.”

“What do you need? Maybe I can help you somehow?”

His stomach swoops at the gaze Dowoon gives him. Shit, which hole dig he himself into now?

~~~

Where can you find one of the classiest and richest lawyers in New York? First, Jae was thinking hard about that question while he watched New York in the dark with all their lights up, a spectacle that Jae likes watching every day. Then Wonpil swooped in and hit him on the head because Jae, in Wonpil’s word, was some dumb ass.

“Where would you go to?” Wonpil had asked and Jae understood immediately.

That’s how he got here. A very classy but still down-to-earth bar that has the second-best view over New York. After a short stop home where he opened a certain drawer, took out two silver hoops and put them into his ears, Jae walks into the Moonrise with confidence. The bodyguards know him good enough to let him in with only a nod, the barkeeper already has his drink ready when he walks up to him, and the waitress leads him to the table he always sits at.

Only that today someone else is already sitting there, looking at him as if he was waiting for him for hours.

“Took you long enough,” the intruder confirms Jae’s suspicions and motions for him to take a seat next to him on the settee. His fingers swirl around a good whiskey. He doesn’t wear a cravat anymore and the first few buttons are open.

Brian lounges in Jae’s favorite seat as if he is the king of the world and everything belongs to him. Jae included.

“Didn’t know you were waiting for me,” Jae chuckles and takes a sip from his gin, placing it delicately on the table.

The only way for him to win this situation, this game, this case, is for Jae to play along. Brian is one hell of an actor and lawyer, but Jae strives to be better. Is better. What Brian can do Jae can do even better.

“I knew that you would come to me sooner or later. I only helped you in finding me.” Brian speaks in a low voice, sensual and charming. He tries to steal Jae’s breath, something that is not lost on Jae. Only that he has long become immune to it.

Jae huffs a curt laugh, cocking one eyebrow. “You really think I wouldn’t have found you without your help? There are only two other places to look for you and that is either your office or the courthouse.”

“What about my home? Or my friends?”

“Oh, you have any?”

Brian laughs under his breath, his smile lingering on his lips. “Got me there. But too bad that I canceled on my friends to be here tonight. Otherwise you could have convinced yourself about their existence.”

It doesn’t get past Jae that they both lean forward with each word until their thighs touch and their arms too. Jae moves in his seat to turn toward the younger, putting half his leg as distance between their bodies. His knee still presses into Brian’s hips, but hopefully it annoys him more than anything else.

“What is so important that you have to be here?” Jae looks at Brian through his lashes, his fingers lightly wandering along Brian’s arm and shoulder. They stop shortly at his neck to wander down his arm again.

It earns Jae a charming half-smile half-smirk from Brian, who cocks his head and leans it against his shoulder. “Maybe I enjoy our conversations?”

How funny, Jae snorts in fake-amusement. “You mostly make fun of me if you aren’t trying to destroy my cases.”

“I think it’s funny.” His arm suddenly moves and his finger flicks against his silver hoop. Brian’s gaze darkens. “I know that you are here to seduce me for some information.”

Jae catches his hand to stop the flicking. “What about it?”

The hand turns around in his grip. “You aren’t really subtle. You think I would miss this?” The hand leaves his grip, caresses the hoop before it wanders down to his neck and dunks into his collar to fish for the necklace hidden underneath his shirt. “The chain doesn’t look nice anymore, maybe you should get a new one.” The silver of his necklace has long become dull as Jae wears it every day ever since he got it as a present.

Jae pushes the hand away from his necklace and tugs it back under his shirt. “It’s none of your business.” Brian raises one eyebrow. “Leave it.”

“Okay, Jae Park, I’ll stop,” Brian utters in defeat and heaves his hands in the air. “You’re right about one thing, though.”

“And that would be?”

Brian’s hand suddenly finds its way onto Jae’s thigh and starts to stroke it, always going higher but never high enough. “I am not opposed to being seduced.”

“When did I say that?” Jae stops the hand on his thigh with his hand reaching for Brian’s.

“You didn’t have to.” The fingers turn around and pull Jae’s hand to Brian’s lips. “I know you good enough to hear words without you telling me.” He presses his lips against the hand, whispering a deep, “You don’t have to worry about those words. I’ll keep them a secret,” before he presses a kiss against his palm.

“What would Mrs. Park think of you sleeping with her husband’s lawyer?” The spot tingles where Brian’s lips eventually leave, and Jae has to swallow at the sight that Brian offers. A smile, seductive and confident, a gaze so dark and filled with lust.

“What would Mr. Park think of you sleeping with his wife’s lawyer?”

“Sungjin knows us both long enough—”

“Ah, did you tell him about the Smith case? Or about Monaco? Or the many gifts—”

“It doesn’t matter,” Jae hastily cuts Brian off from revealing more and more secrets for the world to hear, even though no one in their near vicinity is listening in. “And for the record, the Smith case was in college, we were young and naïve—”

“Monaco was only two years ago, though?”

Jae abruptly takes his hand out of Brian’s and sits back in his seat with enough space between them. Maybe this is exactly what Brian is trying to do, to push Jae to his emotional limit and then make him talk about the case. Fuck, Jae is only trapping himself with this. But he has to do it. He needs the fucking information to finally take down the man in front of him.

“Look,” Jae starts and turns back to Brian but stops instantly when he sees the smile gone on Brian’s face. The only thing left is a gaze that is so piercing and full of want that it finally does it for Jae. He loses his breath.

“Do what you want, Jae, throw stones at me, curse me or seduce me, but at the end of the day it won’t matter, and you know why?” His hand caresses his earring again and then grab him by the neck, pulling his face close to Brian’s. “Because I will always be one step ahead of you. I’ve already won the case, so try what you have to. It won’t change a thing. There’s no way you can win against me.”

And then Brian surges in to close the gap between them, claiming Jae’s lips as his own, and Jae, weak and always falling apart between this man’s fingers, returns the kiss with as much fervor as he is being kissed with. Brian tastes of whiskey, woody and sharp but still sweet. It’s the taste of the younger that does it to Jae. The smell and taste of what is only Brian makes him fall into that pit again and again, a place where his heart lies broken in shards, always mended by soft lips against his skin and broken by harsh words spoken through said lips.

“Come home with me,” Brian whispers with a small giggle on their lips when the people around them start to stare. Two men kissing hotly in a bar, something that people would gossip about until it reaches the right ears, but the world is long used to Brian and Jae. They turn a blind eye where it comes to money, quieten their voices where it comes to protect their own.

The apartment’s door shuts behind Brian with a loud bang as Jae gets pushed against it. Hands are tearing at his clothes, loosening the collar around his throat so Brian has better access to the skin beneath it. Lips latch onto it, sucking and nibbling up and down to scatter around deep red marks. Jae groans loudly under the touch of cold fingers against his belly, fingers that open button for button.

Jae eagerly pushes Brian’s jacket from his shoulder to do the same, pulling Brian closer to him by his neck and going in for another hot kiss. Their tongues dance hotly around each other, a play of push and pull that neither is eager to lose.

They tumble their way to the bedroom, it’s more of a Brian pulling Jae with him through his flat and getting rid of clothes that are in the way of their lips and hands. The back of Jae’s knees hit the bed and Jae falls back, Brian quickly climbs after him and settles down in his lap.

“God,” Brian breathes in awe while his fingers trail along the necklace until they reach the cross on his chest, pushing the fine silver pendant into Jae’s skin. Jae exhales sharply at the sharp touch, grabbing Brian by the hips and thrusting up to rub his hard-on against Brian’s thigh. Brian falls forward and catches himself last second with his arms around Jae’s head, looking him deeply into his eyes. “The things you do to me…” His lips fleetingly touch those of Jae, not kissing, only barely there. “You have no idea.”

Jae tries to close the distance, but Brian pulls away with a smirk. “I think I have an inkling.” Jae snaps after him when Brian pulls away again, chuckling at Jae’s angered expression.

“And I think that my mouth can be better used than this.”

Jae’s breathing quickens when Brian settles between his legs, his hands wandering along his thigh, up, up, up until they meet his boxers, tugging at the hem but nothing more. Instead he pushes one leg up to his face and starts to kiss the skin softly. Jae giggles at the tickling sensation, something that is immediately shut up by the way Brian looks at him from his position.

His eyes are dark, gleaming in the spare lighting of the city skyline outside, full of hunger and lust and want, all while his mouth slowly opens to bite into the skin, then suck, then lavish his tongue to remedy for the harsh bite. The higher Brian gets with this, the louder Jae whines for more. Finally, Brian has some mercy with him and palms his hard-on through the boxers, soft caresses that are definitely not enough.

“Fuck, I thought you meant something entirely else by that. If not, I have something much better for your mouth to do.”

Brian tuts at him, suddenly nosing along his still clothed erection. “So impatient, Mr. Park.”

“God, I already told you not to call me like that.”

Brian only hums as his fingers glide along the hem of his boxers and Jae waits with bathed breath that he finally tugs it down. If not, he’ll gladly do so himself.

“Was it so bad to share a room with Sungjin in college?”

Jae tries to kick the younger, but strong arms hinder him. Fuck, Jae has nearly forgotten how strong Brian actually is. That he can hold him up for minutes to fuck into him relentlessly. His cock twitches at the thought of what happened in Monaco, of Brian coming out of that pool all wet while Jae lounged under the parasol and watched him like a hawk. Jae hates wet bodies that press against his dry one, but god, Brian on that day had been god-sent so Jae couldn’t keep his hands to him.

“Answer me.”

A loud moan tears through the apartment once Brian quickly gets rid of the boxers and immediately surges in for the dick, taking in half of it in one swoop. Jae’s hand shoots down and nestles itself into Brian’s hair while the other grips the blanket beneath him.

Impatient is only one of Brian’s bad traits, teasing comes second. First, he shows him the real deal and then he only gives small and short kisses to the tip of dick while looking up into his eyes.

“I’m not talking about Sungjin while we’re about to fuck,” Jae grits through his teeth and tugs on Brian’s hair. A moan spills out of his mouth, something that reminds Jae of how good it feels – if Brian’s mouth is on him.

“You are the one who is trying to get something out of me.”

Just then, Brian surges down to take him in as far as he can, his hand making up for the rest that doesn’t fit, his tongue pressing along his length as he goes up again. Once he goes down again, Jae waits until the reaches the deepest point to tug on his hair and feel the moan around his dick again. So, so good! Jae thrusts his hip up to get his cock deeper into Brian’s mouth, yet, Brian’s fingers keep him in place as he goes up for some air after nearly choking. Jae sees his chance to latch his lips on that pretty unmarked throat.

“I’m more trying to get something into you,” Jae breathes against Brian’s neck before he starts sucking on it. Meanwhile, his hands wander down to grab Brian’s full ass and massage his buttocks. Brian throws his head into his neck to give Jae more space and his arms find their way around Jae’s neck to press him closer into him.

“Then finally get to it.”

Jae doesn’t need to be told twice and topples them over. Brian’s hair fans around him, the light just hits him right. He looks so pliant beneath Jae. Jae needs a moment to take in that pretty sight that does something to his heart and breath that Jae doesn’t want to be aware of.

“Fuck,” Jae mutters under his breath. His hand darts out to caress Brian softly along his jaw up to his ear. He aligns his palm to his cheek and Brian leans into the touch, snuggling into it like a cat without breaking his eye contact to Jae. The way he looks at him, it’s different than otherwise. It has this quality to it, a fire that burns deeply within them both, raging like a storm and destroying everything in its path. “Fuck.”

Fuck indeed. Jae is here on a mission that he can’t forget about. Losing himself in whatever this is can endanger this whole thing. Jae can’t risk it, so he does the only thing that he can. He turns Brian around and makes sure that his face is pressed into the bed and his hips up for him to take.

“C’mon,” Brian slurs against the pillow. A challenge, nonetheless. His finger points to the nightstand next to the bed. Jae doesn’t need to be told twice.

The lube squelches between his fingers as he rubs it warm. His other hand caresses Brian’s thigh and ass while Jae tries to get his mind back on trail. He doesn’t want his thoughts to linger on how Jae feels seeing Brian like this. It’s the usual sight, same shit as always, it’s not their first time fucking and it surely won’t be the last.

There is just something about Brian, always has been, that pulls Jae in like a magnet. Where Jae claims to hate the man, his body always longs for his touch. It’s difficult to describe the way their relationship works, especially ever since Monaco. They usually don’t talk about it, but it’s Brian who always delves into the topic as if it’s nothing. As if Monaco didn’t change anything. Maybe not for Brian.

The burnt child fears the fire, and Jae is adamant on not being burnt thrice.

Brian's mewls are obscene once Jae is three fingers in. His hips are pushing back on said fingers, especially when Jae finds his sweet spot inside. He gently rubs against it while he starts to pump his own dick, putting on a condom and then pumping more to spread the lube.

Only then does Brian leave his spot to push Jae back into the mattress. He starts to kiss Jae slowly on his mouth, so different from before. It isn’t hot or serves the sole purpose of turning on the other. This is so much more intimate, like a whisper spoken through actions instead of words, little promises of whatever Brian tries to tell him. Jae has always been weak for that kind of kisses, especially if they come from Brian.

Their kiss is interrupted by Brian sinking down on his cock slowly so he can adjust to him. Brian is so hot and so tight around his dick that Jae nearly chokes on his breath once he fills Brian completely. They gaze at each other, fingers wandering around hot skin to find leverage, Jae’s stopping on Brian’s hips and Brian’s fiddling around with his necklace.

And then he starts to move. They start to move. Unhurriedly to enjoy the slow built of their orgasms, disrupted steadily by their urge to kiss the other. Jae pulls Brian down to him and rolls them around, stopping the pounding to get fully immersed in their kiss. Brian’s lips are addicting to him, a cigarette that never stops burning. Jae hitches one of Brian’s legs on his waist and starts to move torturously slow, trying every angle until he hits the prostate.

His breath gets caught in his throat when Brian arches his back and presses further into Jae, his fingers scratching along his back to leave marks. He has a thing for marking Jae so the world can see that Jae has been claimed by someone else, while Jae always tries to hide those marks and appear as the free man that he makes himself seem to be.

“Faster,” Brian huffs and pushes Jae deeper into him with his leg. “C’mon, give it to me.”

Jae grits his teeth and heeds Brian’s wish, fucking into him deeper, harder, faster. The moans that tear themselves out of Brian’s throat spur him on even more. He feels the orgasm building steadily in his groan.

His skin is glistening. The moon shines perfectly on his face, accentuating the high cheekbones and nose, the slant of his eyes lure him in further. Jae leans his forehead against Brian’s while his hand grabs between them for Brian’s dick and starts to get him off. Their eyes meet and never leave each other, a certain feeling building between them. Jae can’t hold it back, doesn’t know why he says it, but it’s out of his mouth before he registers it.

“Fuck, you’re so pretty.”

And suddenly Brian moans loudly, his hole clenches around Jae’s dick so tight. Brian’s cock twitches between Jae’s fingers while it paints their bodies with white streaks. Jae is nearly there too, still pounding into Brian hard. He cradles Brian’s face into his clean hand and pulls it back to where it belongs to, forehead against forehead, nose against nose, lips against lips.

“Look at me, Brian,” Jae pleads with him. “Look at me, Younghyun.”

Brian’s eyes shoot open instantly, his gaze lost in a state of bliss while something hesitant crosses them, gone as soon as it came with Jae abruptly reaching his peak and filling the condom. Brian’s lips hungrily chase after his loud moan, legs and arms intertwining behind his body to keep Jae right where he is: directly against his body.

Their kiss is slow and sloppy, both exhausted in the aftermath.

Brian is lying on his chest when Jae is about to drift off to sleep, but he shakes himself awake and pushes his hair out of his face, his other hand softly stroking the hair on Brian’s nape until the younger shakes himself off and sits up.

“I’m gonna head for the shower.” He presses a last kiss into Jae’s palm before he goes for the shower.

Jae waits until Brian disappears in the bathroom and the door is closed to scramble off in search for his pants. It’s hard not to make any noise in a dark apartment he is semi-familiar with, but somehow Jae does it. Second hurdle is to find Brian’s laptop after he got the USB from his pant. Dowoon’s words are ringing in his ears, the instructions burnt into his mind. Find the laptop, put in the USB and start the program installed on it.

Brian’s laptop lies on a desk in his bedroom, and Jae does like instructed. He types in the password that Dowoon got from who knows where, puts in the USB and starts the program. He watches the number at the bottom of the program climbing up slowly. Sweat runs slowly down on his temple and his knee whips up and down in nervousness.

“C’mon,” Jae mutters under his breath and hits the laptop once, twice in hopes of getting things done faster.

When it hits the eighty percent mark, the shower is suddenly turned off and Jae’s mind goes overdrive. He needs to act fast. He takes a lot of clothes and throw it on the laptop to hide the light of the screen and his USB, then jumps into bed just at the right time when the door to the bathroom swings open and Brian walks in stark naked but clean.

“You’re still here,” Brian says off-handedly and starts to rub his hair dry with a towel while making over his way to the bed. Jae swallows heavily in fear because Brian’s right. Jae never stays longer than he has to and makes a run for it as soon as he’s able to. Usually Brian’s after-sex shower.

“I can go if you want me to.”

The flash drive should be finished by now. Jae only needs to take it sneakily from under the pile of clothes and then bolt the fuck out of here. However, he hasn’t anticipated what Brian says next.

“Nah, it’s late. Just stay the night.” Once Brian notices that Jae stares at him with wide eyes, he adds a chill, “Don’t worry, I’ll drive you home early enough, so you won’t be late for work.”

“Why?” Jae asks in his stupor as his mind can’t catch up with what is actually happening here.

Brian blinks at him innocently and then has the audacity to smile prettily at him. “Because you want to work hard even though I told you it’s useless?”

“How are you so sure that you’ll win this case?”

“Because,” Brian starts and stops in a dramatic pause to shuffle around the room and procure an envelope from his desk that he throws to Jae. “I have this.” Dread fills Jae’s stomach when he looks at the envelope. He is hesitant to take it, even with Brian’s encouraging smile. “Take it, I’m gladly showing you my hand because then you can save the hard work and accept that I’ve won right from the start.”

The spurt of courage he gains from that challenge makes him go for the envelope. Jae opens it with a hard-set face to not show Brian any weakness, but once he sees its content Jae curses loud.

“Fucking shit—”

“Told you so.” And because Jae doesn’t feel like a fool enough, Brian reveals his laptop and even brings the laptop to Jae on the bed. Jae’s breath gets stuck in his throat once again, this time in a flustered state when Brian suddenly offers the flash drive with a smile. “Trust me, there’s nothing on here that you can use against me. Game over.”

“How did you know—”

“That you were going for my hard drive?” Brian chuckles and then pushes the USB into Jae’s hands, closes Jae’s fingers around it. “You are always coming to me if you want something. I could guess that you want revenge for what I’ve done in court, but when you didn’t interrogate me while fucking, I had a hunch.”

“And now you give it to me just like that to mock me,” Jae laughs desperately. Brian is always a step ahead of him. It doesn’t help that Brian is suddenly intertwining their fingers and pulls his hand in for a kiss against his wrist while the other starts fiddling with his necklace.

“Maybe I want you to know every little detail of me, good and bad.”

“Only an idiot would want that. What would you get out of it? I could use every information I find against you.”

“But you won’t.” Jae squeezes Brian’s hand in anger, confused and frustrated and something tethering on the edge of something. He feels like falling and exploding at the same time, looking into a pit that he wants to jump into. “Because I trust you, Jaehyung.”

Jae breathes in sharply and lets himself being pulled down so Brian can rest his head onto his chest again, nuzzling his nose into Jae’s shoulder where he starts to press kisses into. “Please stay the night, Jae.”

Fuck.

_Fuck!_

Jae suddenly jumps out of the bed and collects his clothes to leave the apartment as fast as he can, not once looking back to see Brian’s cold gaze turning into something desperate and full of longing.

Jae never stays the night. And he won’t start with it on any other day soon.

~~~

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

Wonpil flinches back as soon as he opens the door to a furious and exhausted looking Jae.

“What the hell? It’s, like, the middle of the night?”

Jae only presses the envelope against Wonpil’s chest and pushes past him into the flat, storming through it right toward the bedroom in hopes of finding nothing in there – which he luckily doesn’t. What he catches, though, is his own sight. Jae looks awful. His hair is a mess of being carded through again and again, his neck is littered with angry red marks, he didn’t even took the time to button it up correctly. Doesn’t have the time now too, not in the way Wonpil panics.

“Where did you get this from?!”

Jae throws his hands into the air. “No, you’re gonna tell me what the hell is going on here. Because that looks to me like an affair between you and Sungjin! My goddamn client!”

“Where. Do. You. Have this from?” Wonpil pushes the envelope back into Jae’s chest, clenching his teeth and challenging his boss. That he has the audacity to look like that at him. The anger takes him over and Jae grabs at Wonpil’s lapel, tugging him closer to fletch his teeth right in front of Wonpil’s face.

“Wonpil, if you want to keep your job, you answer me right this instant. Because if this is exactly like what it’s looking, then we have a goddamn big problem. Understood?”

But Wonpil has none of it. “Don’t threaten me. This is evasion of my privacy, I can sue the guy who—”

“You fucking idiot!” Jae pushes Wonpil away non too gently and throws one picture after another to the floor. Wonpil and Sungjin looking into each other’s eyes in a restaurant. Kissing behind veils in Wonpil’s flat. Going to the bedroom and vanishing behind. “Sungjin is in the middle of a contested divorce. If anyone sees this, him obviously having an affair with _my_ secretary, there’s no way I can win the case.”

“But the judge won’t approve those as evidence. This is violation of—”

“It doesn’t have to be approved. Sungjin is unfaithful. He cheats on her – with another man even!”

“You told us you’re going to win the case in thirty minutes! You promised it even!” Wonpil eyes shine with tears gathering in them, his challenging look melting into one of desperation because he realizes slowly that he fucked up. They fucked up. Jae wants to calm him down, tell him that it’s all good, but he can’t.

“I didn’t know that Brian would be there.”

“Fuck,” Wonpil exclaims loudly. He takes a few breaths to calm himself down before he looks at Jae contemplating, anger finding its way in his expression. “You two—I can’t believe it. How long do you want to war against him? It was okay when it was only you two, but now you’re taking it out on other people who don’t deserve this. I love Sungjin, okay?! And he loves me, too! It took me months of telling him to leave his wife so that we can finally be together. This was our first and last night, we wanted to wait, but—"

“I promised you to win, so why would you be careful,” Jae realizes with a loud sigh. He rubbed his eyes, trying to think straight in that dilemma. “Fuck! That fucker lied to the judge. How else could he have those pictures if he got the case ten minutes before the trial?”

“What should we do now?”

The million-dollar question, huh? The anger leaves slowly his body and acceptance slowly trickles into his mind. His hands card through his hair once his thoughts are less of a mess than minutes ago.

“Okay,” Jae eventually says and exhales slowly. “You’ll tell Sungjin about this first thing in the morning. I would probably only punch him in the face for being that idiotic.” When Wonpil tries to butt in, Jae hushes him with a curt glance. “I have an idea how we can solve this situation, but I need time for that.”

“Is there anything else that I can do to help?”

“Yes. Call Dowoon and tell him I’m at his flat in ten minutes.”

And with that, Jae storms out of the flat as quick as he has come in.


	2. Chapter 2

“Jae!”

Of course, Sungjin wouldn’t let things rest as they are. No, he has to barge into Jae’s office with that angered expression of his and a deep frown on his lips. That’s how Jae likes his mornings, clients who are angry at him about their own mistakes.

“Not in that tone, dude,” Jae chides him and points to his door. “Come in again and try with an apology. Something along the line of ‘I’m sorry I fucked up, Jae’ or ‘How can I help you, Jae?’”

Sungjin snorts and falls back into the chair in front of Jae’s desk, huffing a sigh as an afterthought.

“Okay, I admit it. I fucked up. But you had promised me and I—”

“I already told this Wonpil. You could have told me that you two are involved or something.” This would have spared him the embarrassment last night. The humiliation to go over there with confidence about his win but actually getting served with the key to his doom, Jae won’t forget that so quickly.

“How did you get the pictures anyway?” Jae shrugs, staring at Sungjin because they both know how Jae gets information from Brian. “Ah… I see. So… nothing’s changed since college?”

That hits Jae in some way. “What do you mean by that?”

Sungjin only shakes his head before he settles his gaze on Jae’s chest, exactly where his necklace is resting. “You guys have been dancing around each other ever since. Honestly, the world is waiting with bathed breath until one of you grows the guts to confess his actual feelings.”

“What feelings?” Jae huffs a curt laughter, his fingers tightening over his thigh. “There are no feelings involved. Brian’s a good fuck, that’s it.” He won’t relent, not even when Sungjin stares him down. “Really, nothing’s going on in the feelings department.”

“Sure.”

“I’m pretty sure.”

“Ah, so that’s why you flew to Monaco two years ago? Because he’s a pretty good fuck?” Worded like that even Jae has to admit how bad it sounds. “And when are we finally talking about the gifts that he sends you after every closed case? If that’s not a cry for love, then I don’t know. He was right, you know? You are some relationship-phobic idiot.”

Sungjin might have a point, but Jae won’t admit it. The topic of him and Brian is something he wishes would finally disappear as he grows tired of talking about it again and again. Jae likes the ignorance he is usually blessed with by his friends in regard to his love life – or rather the lack of if Brian isn’t there to fill it. Jae isn’t the Casanova Brian had drawn him as in court. Although that is something Brian doesn’t need to know of.

“Just—keep your distance to Wonpil,” Jae eventually sighs and ignores Sungjin’s smug look at the topic change. “The damage’s done, only thing left to do is damage control.”

“And what’s your plan?”

Just when Jae is about to explain it to Sungjin, a very distressed looking Dowoon bursts into his office with a laptop under his arm.

“Warn a guy next time!” Dowoon exclaims scandalized, putting the laptop softly in front of Jae. “The nudes on his hard-drive nearly costed me my sanity.”

Sungjin raises an eyebrow at the IT specialist. "What? You’re surprised to find porn on a man’s hard-drive?”

“Not any nudes.” Dowoon cards his hand through his hair, then points directly to Jae. “His!”

“Jae’s nudes?”

“What—”

And then Jae remembers. The click of a shutter when he laid in bed, blinking the sleep out of his eyes while a thin blanket covered his most intimate body part. A beautiful smile that pressed kisses on his chest, a hand that snaked down to take him into a soft grip, another click when Jae threw his head into his neck, sweat dripping from his face, lips open to let out a deep moan.

“Oh my god,” Sungjin half cries and half laughs at the blush that creeps up on Jae’s face. “You let him take pictures of you? He’s totally jacking off to them. Does he blackmail you?”

“How do you know it’s Brian who we’re talking about?” Jae sneers back. His fingers clamp around the laptop as his mind is still debating on whether he should open it or not. What else will he find on it except for the explicit images that were made during his most vulnerable and intimate moment.

The way Sungjin looks at him, no smile or frown, only a gaze that sees through him, it’s exactly the same one he wore when Jae returned back from his first one-night stand with Brian.

“Because you’re only dumb when you’re with him” are the last words Sungjin speaks before he makes his grand exit, leaving behind a frowning Jae and a flustered Dowoon.

Jae clears his throat to get Dowoon’s attention back to him. “What did you find?”

Dowoon sits down where Sungjin has sat before, crossing his legs and smiling innocently at Jae. Jae scoffs because he has a vague idea of what is coming next.

“I’ve found jack shit.” Jae wants to hurl something out of the window or at least snap his pen in two, but just then Dowoon’s smile grows so much smugger. “At first.”

Laughter spills out of Jae’s throat in a feeling of relief. Thank god, there might be a chance for Jae to win this case. “Spill the tea.”

Dowoon turns the laptop so they both can see the screen, tapping here and there before he opens a folder with a lot of documents stored in there.

“The hard-drive was clean, just like you expected it to be. So, I dug deeper and found even more shit. I found contracts, clients, evidence, cases – all clean and legal and nothing he needs to hide. But something bugged me. I found a lot—”

“But not everything?”

Dowoon shakes his head. “One thing. Only one thing. Like, I wondered where he got the pictures from because that means he hired someone. And I thought, what if _they_ have anything bad going on?”

Jae’s eyes latch on Dowoon’s lips like a lifeline. Dowoon keeps him unnecessarily in suspense. “And, did you?”

The smile he gifts him fills Jae with much excitement, just like the words he says next.

“You bet I did.”

~~~

Brian’s office is nicer than his. It’s the second biggest in the building, a corner one with a view nearly as pretty as Jae’s. The decoration is minimalistic, nothing much personal except for the two pictures on his desk. Jae inspects the first one and sees an older pair with their son posing for the camera, the son holding a certificate between his fingers. Jae would coo at the sight of high school Brian and his parents if the second picture didn’t attract his attention.

Jae has to look twice to realize that he himself is depicted on there. The sun behind his head dunks his figure in deep black, only a silhouette against a beautiful summer background with a sunset, palms and the sea. The shot is of his face in profile down to his shoulders, his hair lightly tousled from the wind. Jae hasn’t known that this picture exists and that Brian has it right here on his desk.

Why would he keep it here? The place where he probably spends more time in than at home?

“I didn’t expect you before noon, to be honest.”

Jae’s head whips up and his hand sets down the picture softly. Brian is leaning against the doorframe, smiling at Jae without any malice in his expression. His eyes sparkle in a glance that has Jae’s heart in a pinch, beating faster against his chest with a certain warmth to it.

“It’s only a curtesy visit.”

They swap places with Brian walking to his desk and Jae trying to maintain some distance between them. His eyes latch onto Brian’s neck instead, a single mark peeks out from the collar. A mark that Jae put on there. The taste is still lingering on his tongue.

“Or you couldn’t find anything and are now trying to sneakily investigate my office?” Brian asks with humor in his tone. His gaze and stance are still open, his fingers caress the picture frame softly.

“Why do you have a picture of me?”

Brian’s smile dims a bit, dwindling from amused friendly to soft and warm. A gaze that Brian likes to regard him with when he thinks Jae isn’t looking.

“Because it’s pretty.”

Jae has anticipated this answer, yet it still blows him away. Brian just called him pretty and nothing more. Jae knows he is pretty to look at, knows it from the many kisses pressed into his skin along to the whispered praises of his beauty. Just—it feels so different hearing it in a context that doesn’t leave much room for interpretation.

“That’s why you printed it out and put it here?”

“How else can I keep looking at you? You don’t visit me nearly as much as I hope you would.”

A confession that robs Jae of his breath. How can he say something like this so bluntly all of the sudden? Normally, it’s always Jae and Brian getting on each other’s nerves, challenging the other with mean jabs at their weakest points, trying to—what? Make the other a better man?

“I visit you too much,” Jae snorts. His crosses his arms over his chest in a need to defend himself. From what?

And Brian lets him. Just like that. “Why are you really here? If it’s about the case—”

“I want to return a favor.” Brian raises an eyebrow. That’s a challenge Jae likes to take on. He uncrosses his arms and steps forward, leaning over the table to lean into Brian’s personal space. “I thought I warn you before you embarrass yourself in court next time.”

“Hmm.” Brian, too, leans forward and meets Jae with a tilt of his head. There isn’t much space left between them. Jae can feel Brian’s breath fan on his face. “Tell me about it.”

“You’d like that, right?” Jae smiles cockily, a light chuckle escaping his lips. “But I only say that much: Your evidence in court won’t hold up anymore.”

Brian purses his lips, nearly grazing them against Jae’s. “Who says I need them? I have other ways to destroy your win.” His hand lays on Jae’s neck tugging him in further to press a soft kiss to Jae’s lips.

Jae abruptly pulls a bit back. “That’s a warning, Kang,” he growls, skimming his nose against Brian’s before biting into the other’s lower lip and tugging on it. “I’ll destroy you if it comes to it. I got so much dirt on you it’d destroy your career if any of it comes out.”

A last peck, and Jae goes for a dramatic exist, one with his smile and Brian’s frown on his own lips. Instead, Jae glances back and halts once he sees Brian’s amused expression that is full of so much—Jae doesn’t want to name it.

“You wouldn’t.” Brian sounds so confident, smug and sure of himself. As if Jae’s threats are nothing to be concerned of.

“Why not?”

But what is worse? If the warmth vanishes and all that is left is the cold amusement of the college student Brian once was, the one who kissed Jae and whispered prayers into his skin while making him come undone and then threw him out of his flat with an expression of victory because he’d won this battle, too? Or if the smugness vanishes and all that is left is the warmth of a feeling so foreign to receive from the younger, a feeling that makes hope bloom in his chest and then gets crushed with cold reality?

A face that expresses all his feelings for Jae, one of care and love, makes Brian’s eyes shine so much that Jae’s hearts threatens to explode.

“Because you love me.”

Jae leaves instantly.

~~~

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!”

Jae kicked against the door once his third attempt to open it failed. He kicked again and again until someone suddenly teared it open, an angry Sungjin glaring at him. Just until realization set in that Jae was drenched and had red eyes from still crying too hard.

Jae found himself seated on their old and smelly couch in their dorm room. His sobs sounded pathetic even to his own ears. What suddenly piqued his interest, though, was the foreign man hurrying through their room, putting on clothes and whispering with Sungjin before he left.

“Who was that?” Jae asked at the same time Sungjin prompted, “What happened?”

They watched each other with bathed breath. Sungjin was the first one to fold.

“He’s from my calculus class.”

Jae’s eyebrow drew together. It didn’t interest him much from where Sungjin knew the guy, it was more about the fact that it looked like Jae ran into some scandalous scene.

“What about your girlfriend?”

“It—” Sungjin sighed in defeat, planting himself next to Jae. The look he gave him made Jae shut up and forget about his curiosity. Some things were better put to rest before they stirred any trouble. “What about you?”

Right. There was that. There was no way around it. Sungjin and Jae were friends who were there for each other. Ones that kept secrets, something highly recommended if you’re sharing a room in college.

“I slept with Brian.” A sharp inhale. Jae saw the surprise on Sungjin’s face, one that Jae had expected. It still bugged him because nearly everyone was gossiping about the sexual tension sparkling between Jae and Brian.

“You did?”

“Is that bad?”

Sungjin shrugged. “You tell me that. It’s you who slept with him and then came home crying. I guess those aren’t tears of happiness.”

Sungjin was right. Jae slumped down in his seat and tugged his hood over his head to hide the tears gathering in his eyes again. “It was just sex. Nothing else.”

Silent seconds ticked away while Jae tried to keep his body from trembling as his tears quietly slipped down his face. Sungjin didn’t move as well, but Jae heard a soft sigh before an arm suddenly tugs him into Sungjin’s side for a small hug.

“Somehow I get the feeling that it wasn’t just sex. Not for you, anyway.”

Jae shook his head and then proceeded to bury it into Sungjin’s chest to hide the pathetic whimper that slipped from his throat. And somehow it all then spilled out of his throat, everything that was buried deep in his chest.

“I’m so dumb, Sungjin. I thought— I always thought ‘don’t hope too much, he flirts with practically everyone.’ I’m not special, I’m just his rival who tries to get his place on top of the school. But then—he was looking at me with his eyes and talked to me like a friend. When he touched me—I couldn’t but start to hope. What if he likes me back? I’m that pathetic loser, Sungjin, the one who falls for his rival just like in all those teen romances. I hate that he’s so smart, so charismatic, so pretty. Why is he so perfect? Why does he hate me, Sungjin? Why?”

“Oh, Jae.”

“Don’t ‘Oh, Jae’ me! He played me, that’s what he did! He smiled at me while he closed the door in front of my face. So smug as if he won our last battle. Fuck!”

Broken into thousand shards, he had seen it coming from afar, had let go of his fragile heart the moment their lips touched, uncareful about the way the beating warmth shattered on the ground. As the warmth of his lips had taken him up to the stars and beyond. They even elicited a smile out of Jae, one that Brian had kissed again and again with one of his own.

Was it that stupid of him to bear hope? That it wasn’t all part of his imagination? That touches meant more than stilling the need of primal urges? That kisses searched for something closer, something that gave them wings to fly?

The way his wings burnt and Jae was falling to the ground, even with Sungjin there to catch his fall, it made him even more determined that he would never give in to Brian like that ever again.

A heart was meant to be protected from some childish competition. If Brian wanted one of those, then Jae would gladly give him that. Nothing more, nothing less.

~~~

“And I won’t settle for anything less than you keeping all of your money and shared custody.”

Jae’s coffee steamed hot between his fingers as he takes a short sip out of it, nearly burning his tongue in the process. Sungjin snorts at the grimace he makes.

“You really should be more careful. I need your silver tongue in there.”

Days have passed since Jae’s last visit in Brian’s office and the day of their hearing is finally here. Jae is sure that he looks as immaculate as possible. One of his finest suits clothes his figure, his hair is in top shape after a visit to his hairdresser yesterday and he even put on a bit of make-up. If Jae’s beauty doesn’t vibe with the judge, maybe then he can charm Brian’s pants off.

His research didn’t come up with anything new. Jae is still worried about the whole affair thing, even with his ace up his sleeve. Maybe he shouldn’t have warned Brian, then he would have the element of surprise on his side.

“Good morning.” Wonpil slowly joins the group and throws Sungjin a hesitant smile, one that Sungjin mirrors to the secretary. Jae rolls his eyes.

“You guys are so obvious,” Jae grumbles under his breath and tries to shield the pair from the public eye. “Anything new?”

Wonpil shakes his head, his warm smile melting into an apologetic one. “Sorry. The paralegals and Dowoon were giving their best, but there is only so much to find.”

“Maybe they aren’t looking in the right place.”

Trials against Brian take the best of him. Just seeing his opponent makes him impatient and easy to anger. Any other lawyer wouldn’t be able to build a case against Jae, and here comes in Brian and sweeps the rug under his feet with a simple smile. As such, Jae likes to be prepared when going to war against him.

“You know…” Sungjin trails off while he quietens his voice. Jae’s eyebrows furrow as Sungjin suddenly gazes over his shoulder and then leans in, all secretive and that. “Maybe you should stop digging in Brian’s professional life and start looking into his private one?”

While it confused Jae since they all know that Brian doesn’t have a life outside his profession, Wonpil seems to get what Sungjin is implying. “Wouldn’t that be cruel? This is playing dirty.”

“We’re not above dirty,” Jae reminds Wonpil, still confused about what they are talking about. “I’d do anything to win this case, especially if it means dragging down Brian.”

“Jae, look.” Sungjin throws his arm around Jae’s shoulder and tugs him into his side, very uncomfortably so. “What is it you always say? Wave the thing people want the most in front of their face and threaten to take it away.”

“And what, pray tell, is it that Brian wants the most?” Sungjin’s smug smile tells him enough for Jae to immediately get it. “Oh, hell no—”

“Jae, it’s worth a try. You can’t tell me that Brian doesn’t love you. He worships the ground you walk on.”

“No, nope, I’m not listening to your crap.” Jae flees from Sungjin’s grasp to hide the blush on his face and the tremble of his heart. Brian doesn’t love him and Sungjin knows it, how can he forget that moment in college when Jae was crying in his arms? Or how can he forget that moment two years ago when Jae suddenly stood in front of his door, drenched from the rain outside and with the tears in his eyes, drops rolling down his skin that got tanned so much during his abruptly taken holiday?

Brian doesn’t love him, and Jae would be a fool to believe otherwise.

~~~

“I hope you two are better behaved today,” the judge opens the session with severe words, glancing at Brian and Jae sternly.

Jae tries to keep looking at her to avoid the sight of Brian’s confident smile. It bears no good news for him to see his opponent like that while Jae is a mess in a way. He has to keep his feelings in check and refocus his energy on the divorce.

“Don’t worry, your honor, today’s going to be quick and clean,” Brian promises her with a charming smile. His fingers carefully close the button of his jacket as he stands up, taking a few steps to the front. “I want to start today’s session with the husband, Mr. Sungjin Park, on the stand.”

For being the first time on stand, Sungjin does a good job at keeping his cool. He appears calm and collected and Jae is proud to be the one who has trained him as such. However, Sungjin’s jittery leg doesn’t escape Jae’s careful watch and Brian’s probably as well.

“Mr. Park,” Brian starts friendly and smiley. “We’ve known each other for a while now, right?”

“Yes,” Sungjin nods confused. “We met in College.”

“That’s what, ten years ago?”

“Objection,” Jae sharply interrupts. “We’re here for a divorce and not small talk.”

“Sustained. Mr. Kang, please skip the pleasantries and come to the point,” the judge agrees sternly, yet Brian keeps smiling unbothered.

Something’s up. Jae can smell it. He glances back to Wonpil sitting behind him. His secretary, though, only shrugs his shoulder.

Brian continues. “Mr. Park, how long have you been married now?”

“Six years.” A light furrow between Sungjin’s eyebrow. Now Jae knows something’s up if Sungjin, too, picks up on it.

“How old is your daughter again?”

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Jae whispers back to Wonpil. “It only proves the point I want to make.”

“Six years,” Sungjin repeats warily. Brian’s smile widens.

“Maybe he tries to invalidate your case?” Wonpil offers him hesitantly because yes, he, too, realizes that there is no way to turn Jae’s case around.

“Six years,” Brian echoes loudly. “That’s no coincidence, right?”

Sungjin shakes his head. “No, because our daughter is the reason we married. Things were easier after we married.”

“So, it only happened out of necessity?” Brian asks and it somehow gives Jae the insight he needs to understand.

“Fuck,” Jae curses. “He’s not trying to invalidate my case.”

“And not because you loved your wife enough to want to spend the rest of your life with her?” Brian’s eyes gleam while Jae’s burn in anger.

“ _He’s fucking making my case_ —Objection, you honor! Those are only presumptions!” Jae jumps up from his chair and hits his desk with his finger. “My client could have loved her very much and the child only speeded up the process of thinking about marriage.”

“Now you are assuming things,” Brian cheekily retorts.

“Objection sustained – but Mr. Park, if you object then please abide to it by yourself.” And now Jae took a shot in his own foot. The judge’s opinion on him hasn’t been good from the start on, but now she hates Jae a bit more. Exactly what he needed. “Please continue, Mr. Kang.”

“Mr. Park, is it right that you work a very high position in a music label? And that this position comes with a lot of late hours and night shifts?”

Jae very much wants to scream at Sungjin to shut up. Anything at this point could turn out as a trap. His mind is running wild to find any point to attack, anything that can help him.

“If you’re implying that I neglect my child because I’m working then you’re wrong. I’m always taking time for my child as much as I am able to.” Nice answer, Jae thinks. Brian’s smile widens though, and Jae wants to take his words back.

“What about your wife? You don’t take time off for her?”

Sungjin looks up to her. Their gazes link for a few seconds before Sungjin shakes his head and looks at Brian again. “No. Because I don’t love her anymore. I’ve wanted this divorce for a long time now.”

“But what made you finally decide—”

“Objection!” Jae can’t just stand there and watch Sungjin digging his own grave. It doesn’t help him or anyone else to see him laid bare under Brian’s cold eyes for reasons only god knows of. “This hearing is about who gets what and not some counselling session. Why my client has decided to push for divorce doesn’t matter.”

“Your honor.” And finally, that smile is gone from Brian’s face. Jae only has to decide now if he likes his cold and stern expression better. “You remember what I told you last time? That I want to find out who Sungjin Park is to make the best case possible? My line of questioning will prove why my client is the victim in this marriage and why she deserves full custody for her daughter and the money that is hers too.”

“The victim in this marriage?” Jae parrots scandalized. “I think I’m not hearing right. Your client blackmailed mine into the marriage because all she’s after is the money! If we’re talking about finding out what kind of person the client is, then you should’ve talked to your own first!”

“I did and what I found was a woman deeply disrespected and hurt by her own husband!”

Fuck. Jae knows now what Brian is trying to prove. But it’s okay. His evidence won’t hold in court and Jae has enough things up his sleeve to win the case. Keep calm, keep cool, keep smiling, Jae repeats again and again in his head.

“Mr. Kang, I want to see proof of why you think Mrs. Park is the victim in this marriage.” The judge looks curious, not a good sign for Jae. Brian has her on his hook.

“With pleasure, you honor.” Brian smiles too smugly, too widely, and Jae wants to punch him in the face. He even has the audacity to wink at him. Jae smiles through his anger while his hand balls to a fist. Especially when Brian whips those damn pictures out of his bag. “Those are pictures of Mr. Park’s crime against his wife.” He shows them off to the whole room before he brings them to the judge who studies them with a big frown.

“While my client sits at home and cares for her daughter, disregarding her own life and dreams of pursuing her own career, Mr. Park indulges in the warm embraces and love of _another men_!” The room starts to murmur. Sungjin shuffles in his seat and lowers his gaze in guilt. Jae clenches his teeth. When he glances back, he sees how Wonpil sinks down in his chair to hide his face.

Time for Jae to shine. “Your honor, those pictures are clearly fake!” He leaves his seat to walk up to the judge, standing in one line with Brian. “The photographer of those pictures comes from a more than shady investigation firm who are known for forging evidence.”

“Mr. Park, those are some serious accusations. I hope you have proof to back it up?”

Jae nods and gives the judge a stack of paper. “I have. Those are statements from anonymous sources that prove it.”

“Anonymous sources,” Brian sneers. “That’s the best you can come up with?”

Jae steps closer to Brian and growls. “I could start to tear your whole career apart. Shall we do that?” When Brian only glares back, Jae huffs a curt laughter. “Thought so. Plus, your honor, if those pictures were real -- which they aren’t -- they are obviously against the law. Those were taken with the intent of observation. The people on the picture are in a bedroom, the curtains are drawn and forth on; that’s obvious invasion of privacy.”

“Then let’s ask Mr. Park,” Brian curtly ignores Jae’s attempt of rebuttal and walks over to Sungjin. “Do you have an affair with another man?”

Good man. Sungjin holds his head high with pride like a fighter. “No, I don’t have an affair.”

“But those are you and Mr. Kim on the pictures, right?”

“Objection, my client doesn’t have to answer this question,” Jae butts in while he walks back to his seat. Brian isn’t anything less than a fighter, too. Jae would admire it in a any other moment, but now he wants nothing more than him to shut up.

“When you work late at your job, are you really always working late?”

“What do you mean?” Sungjin reflects.

“I mean—Have you ever lied to your wife about why you are coming home late?”

Sungjin’s jaw tenses. They all see the hesitation. Jae has to butt in again. “Objection! Don’t answer.”

But Brian won’t give up. “Have you ever been unfaithful to your wife?”

Jae sees how Sungjin wants to deny the statement before he catches himself. “Stop asking questions he won’t answer,” Jae answers calmly for Sungjin instead.

Which isn’t good, though. The judge has already formed an opinion and Sungjin not answering those questions is like confessing to them all the same. Jae fucked this up, very much and very easy so. Like a fucking amateur.

“We’ve known each other ten years, right?” Brian suddenly asks. It stops the time to give Jae some clarity what exactly is happening here.

This case—Jae is in the right. Sungjin is. Mrs. Park is some money-whore lusting after Sungjin’s high job position. With the divorce she tries to milk him further by claiming sole custody for her child. Pay her enough money and Sungjin can keep the child. That’s what Sungjin had told him with no proof and Jae trusted him. Still trusts him on that because he knows that woman. He trusts the woman’s character even more than he trusts Brian.

Brian is there and dissects every part of Sungjin’s flaws in his marriage. A good man who gives his best for years now, only to be punished for a small mistake. With Brian, it’s all about small mistakes. He claims victory where Jae is blind of love. It’s true. Jae loves Brian as much as he hates him. No necklace, no vacation, no whispered promise can redeem what Brian is doing to his friend. To Jae.

And maybe this is no moment of clarity and more one of Jae’s anger and frustration finding their peak after so many years.

“Ten years ago,” Brian starts his story with a smile on his face as if he’s telling his children a fairy tale. “A young girl made a scene on campus because her boyfriend slept with another man. And if I remember correctly… that was you, Mr. Park.”

Sungjin glances over to him, wants a sign from Jae, but Jae is lost in his thought. He knows what he has to do now, what he has to do to protect his friend.

“It was a one-time mistake,” Sungjin whispers with a wet voice. “I swear, it was only—”

“Sungjin.” Brian cocks his head. His smile gone. His eyes gleaming as if he tries to shut off his emotions but they still try to escape. Because Brian is like that – cold but still filled with so many different colors. That’s what Jae loves the most, to discover the many layers that protect Brian from the world outside and are only there for Jae to see. But his next sentence takes the straw. “You don’t love your wife because you’re homosexual, right?”

“Objection—”

“No further questions, your honor.” Brian lightly bows and goes back to his seat while Jae stands in front of his own, tense, lost, angry.

~~~

Jae storms out of the room just after the judge calls for a short break. Neither Wonpil nor Sungjin can stop him in his rage to get out of that room and run to the next best empty bathroom. Inhale, exhale, splash of water against his face and wait.

The water cools his hot thrumming blood a bit. It helps him to see clearer. Things have to be done, things Jae has told himself to do before but actually didn’t. Because he’s a coward to believe in things like matters of the heart.

The door opens. Inhale. The door falls shut. Exhale. Steps coming closer. Inhale. A reflection in the mirror. Exhale. Their eyes meet in the mirror. No smiles, no faces hidden behind masks, only the truth written in their eyes. A drop runs along the slope of his nose, slowly reaching the tip, dropping down with a splash. Jae raises his head slowly until he peeks at Brian from under his fringe as if looking down on him.

“ _You don’t love your wife because you’re homosexual_?” Jae raises an eyebrow, then huffs a curt laughter when Brian’s face does nothing. No twitch, no muscle moving. “That’s how low you want to strike?”

Brian cocks his head. “Anything for my client. They say what they want, and I promise to get it.”

“You’re disgusting me, you know that?” He doesn’t even flinch at Jae’s cold confession, only looks at him so emotionless. Jae bares his teeth to the mirror, their eye-contact never wavers. “You’re a goddamn liar, someone who would betray everything he stands for just for a win. You’re the worst kind of people. I hate men like you.”

“Really?” Brian retorts condescendingly, chuckling just to mock Jae. “You’re the same, just like me. A goddamn liar who would do anything to win.”

“At least I fight for the right thing!” And suddenly Jae is pushing Brian against the wall, towering over him in his anger. Brian, though, still manages to challenge him. His chin raised, his jaw jutted out because he knows that Jae is weaker than him. Jae begs to differ. “I would never help people I don’t deem worthy enough.”

“Who are you to judge over people?” Brian pushes him away, although he doesn’t let go of Jae’s lapels. “What makes you so much better than me or Mrs. Park? You’re so set on what you believe is right that you sometimes aren’t even able to see the truth.”

“What? That I love you or what? Is that what it’s all about?”

“No, that I love you! That I’m not some disgusting idiot who plays you over and over again but actually tries to get your attention. Because I’ve been loving you for so, so long!”

“You love me?” Jae asks shakily. There are tears collecting in his eyes and he is determined to not let them flow. His heart hurts in his chest because this doesn’t feel right. “You really love me? You kick me out again and again and then tell me that you love me? You take clients just to get back at me, destroy good people to win a case, and then you denounce my best friend for being a gay cheater while you yourself are actually gay trickster? You call this love?!”

“No, I call this my job! I’m a lawyer like you, I do my job and do what people tell me! Those are two different pair of shoes, me loving you and me doing my job. It wouldn’t be fair if I let you win just because I don’t want to anger you.”

And Jae knows that Brian’s right. That he is totally right that Jae would be angry either way. But this here, this is personal. This case is too personal for Jae to not feel attacked. Sungjin is more than a client and Brian knows it. That is what hurts the most.

“Sungjin’s my best friend,” Jae tries weakly. “His wife is a monster. She doesn’t deserve the child or the money.”

But Brian’s response is simple. It doesn’t hurt any less. “She’s my client.”

Because for him, this isn’t personal. For Jae, however, it is.

Exhale.

Jae lowers his head until it meets Brian’s shoulder where he lets it rest for a second.

Inhale.

He knows what he has to do. The client says what he wants, and his lawyer abides. Just like Brian does. Just like Jae should.

Exhale.

“I love you, too.”

The hands on his lapels sneak around his frame to hug him back, fingers cradle through his hair, soft, warm. Jae raises his head to let his lips graze against Brian’s cheek, pressing in kisses along the way up to his ear.

“Jae…”

Jae can feel Brian’s pulse, a quick beat against his lips. His name on Brian’s lips sounds so beautiful that Jae wants to record it and play forever in a loop. A tear escapes his eye when he realizes that he probably will never be able to do that.

“Drop this case.” The hands stop with their caresses. The pulse drops. “If you love me—if you want me, drop this case.”

And just for good measure Jae turns his head to capture Brian’s lip in a soft kiss filled with too many emotions. All of Jae’s heart goes in there, every pain and happiness he ever felt thanks to Brian. A kiss for a last time. He wants to savor it.

“Drop it—or I’m going to destroy you.”

~~~

“Why are you doing this?”

The night was beautiful. They could see so many stars in the sky, something that Jae hadn’t ever been able to see. One light after another lit up their night along to the round moon. It stole his breath and never returned it back, gladly so. Jae couldn’t be mad at the sky for showing him the beauty of being alive.

Especially not when Brian’s face looked so pretty in such light. It was his eyes who always fascinated Jae the most. A simple universe was caught in them, keeping a gleam and such a special glance to them that Jae could never look away.

“What am I doing?”

The smiles that Brian gifted him with were different than the ones he gave his clients or the judge. A wonderful curl of lips that tugged even higher when Jae smiled back, pushing his eyes up into crescents that shone brighter than any star in the sky.

Even two years ago in the middle of nowhere in Monaco Jae realized that he was pretty much in love with Brian. How couldn’t he be if Brian had brought him to such a wonderful place and then proceeded to wine and dine him like a prince.

Every day Jae could marvel at the charming curves of Brian’s figure. Every night Jae could explore said curves with a closer look and even taste and kiss every inch of skin he touched. Every morning Jae could cuddle into a warm side and smile at the thought that this felt nice, much nicer than waking up alone in his cold bed. Every evening Jae could talk about everything and nothing and laugh about so many things than he ever laughed in his life before.

In Monaco Jae could stop pretending that Brian was his enemy. Brian was so much more than the lawyer who was able to challenge him.

“This here. Bringing me to your villa and have some sex vacation where we have more than sex.”

Jae chuckled but only to cover up the hesitance and doubt in his voice. Was this another ploy of Brian? Or was this genuine? There was no way that it was a lie how Brian took his hand and kissed every finger softly. Endearingly. Lovingly even.

“Maybe I only want to spend some time with you. Get to know you better. Far away from everything back at home.”

His voice was so smooth and deep, yet it still had a playful undertone. Something soft that made Jae’s heart jump some somersault.

Jae hummed in thought and looked back to the stars. “My full name’s Jaehyung Park. But I prefer Jae.”

“Mine’s Younghyun. Kang Younghyun. I named myself Brian when I moved to Canada.”

“How old were you?” Jae turned his head back to watch Brian again. There was something in his voice that pulled Jae in like a magnet.

“Fourteen.”

His eyes shimmered as he watched the stars. The waves crashed gently against the cliffs. A soft breeze fluttered through their hair. It was nice like that.

“Why’d you move to Canada?”

“I wanted to. My parents encouraged me to do my degree outside of Korea. I mean, I can never stay in one place for too long. From Korea to Canada to Cambridge and then to New York. Maybe I’ll move to somewhere else in some time.”

“Already something in your mind?”

Jae reached out to push a lose strand out of Brian’s face. His hand lingered against his cheek. He could feel a smile forming against his palm.

“You’re from L.A., right?”

Maybe it was too perfect. In hindsight, that whole moment was too perfect for it to be true. Brian was without a doubt beautiful. The stars helped to set a certain kind of mood along with the sea and the wind. And Brian’s tongue did the rest of the work.

“You would move to L.A. for me?”

It was the promise of a future that did it for Jae. He had been so careful to not fall for Brian again, yet it had taken Brian only three days in Monaco to pull down every last stone of his wall and make himself a home in his heart.

“I would follow you to the end of the world.”

Harsh reality crashed in as soon as his feet touched familiar ground. Monaco was like the sun, scorching hot and a dream high in the sky. It made the fall only so much harder.

Jae came back home to many missed messages from Wonpil, all asking him to please call back because there’s a problem about his latest case. The one he worked against Brian. The one Brian could turn around because Jae had been absent for too long.

And Jae realized his mistake.

At least Sungjin was there again to catch his fall.

~~~

“Mrs. Park, is it true that you married Mr. Park for the money?”

Jae wants to pull some teeth the moment he hears the question. Brian did it again, stole his line of questioning and turns it around so Jae is unable to prove his way. The way Sungjin’s wife reacts tells him that she knows about it. She has this smugness around her that makes him hate her even more.

“Yes. But I was pregnant and couldn’t take care of a baby otherwise. Sungjin is the father, so he’s responsible for it, too. It was the right decision for me because I loved him as well. We had the chance to become a happy family.”

Sungjin’s fingers clench at her testimonial. He hears a sharp inhale, one that Jae would do in his shoes, too.

Ever since the session continued, Brian hasn’t glanced even once at him. The smile is wiped from his face, only a cold and fake one sitting there.

“Do you think your husband loved you?” The question sounds harmless at first.

“Yes. At first.” The problem is always the ‘but’ that follows. “But now I’m not so sure anymore.”

“Why not?”

Her eyes glaze over and maybe a tear escapes from her eyes. “Because he’s started to avoid me.” And then she proceeds to tell the judge a story about how Sungjin comes home later and later, misses important calls from the babysitter or misses meetings at school. All proved by Brian. A sob-story, really, one that Sungjin has laid the ground for, one that Brian worked hard for to undermine mistakes as failures. “And I knew he must’ve had an affair. With another man even! It explains so much.”

What is sadder? That they are still beating a dead horse because Sungjin’s actually bi and not gay? Or that Brian is still determined to win this case even though Jae had just told him that he will break up with him for good if he does so? Jae’s threat doesn’t have any effect on Brian. It hurts so fucking much.

“Mr. Park. Your witness.”

Jae stands from his seat and buttons up his suit. This is going to be over very quickly.

“Mrs. Park, when you came to New York, what was it again that you pursued as your career?”

Mrs. Park blinks at him bevor she takes a breath and answers a curt, “I wanted to be singer.”

“Right,” Jae suddenly yells very dramatically as if he remembered it just now. “That’s where you met Sungjin, I forgot. That was when Sungjin was working as an assistant. To the casting director to be precise.”

“Your honor, if I’m not allowed to make small talk, then Mr. Park shouldn’t be as well,” Brian butts in too friendly. The judge, though, agrees.

“No, I only want to focus your attention on the following thing: Just a few weeks after Sungjin got promoted to casting director that woman turned out pregnant. Lucky coincidence, right?” Mrs. Park nods in agreement, but hey, Jae isn’t nearly finished with her. “Oh, I have another lucky coincidence for you. Just when you filled out your first divorce form Sungjin got promoted to a higher paid position and suddenly you never pulled through with the divorce.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Mrs. Park tries to play the innocent. Jae comes prepared.

“Your honor, I have here the form that she filled out at that time. Her old lawyer gave it to me.” He gives the judge a stack of papers. “And while we’re at it, there are also statements of my client’s credit cards and bank account. And by that I don’t mean its current status but the number of Mrs. Park’s expenses over the years – living out of my client’s pocket. And don’t tell me you did it for the child because I’m not sure how you want to explain why a kid needs a designer bag.”

“What if my client has an expensive lifestyle – it doesn’t prove anything. She can love someone and be expensive at the same time. Mr. Park only has bad taste in woman.”

Jae only smiles at Brian’s simple statement. Because the way the judge grunts means that she has found what Jae had put in there.

“Why is there a printed version of a phone message conversation?”

“That, your honor—” Jae turns back to her with a bright smile on his face. “—is a conversation between my client and one of her friends where she confesses that she only wants the money and not the child. Don’t worry, said friend gave us the screenshots with permission.”

“It’s still a private conversation,” Brian exclaims sternly.

“And your pictures aren’t private?”

The judge swivels her hammer and quietens down the quarrel between the lawyers. “If this quarrel between you continues like that, I don’t want to grant custody to either party. Any further questions to the witness, Mr. Park?”

Jae shakes his head and returns to his seat. Sungjin squeezes his hand lightly and shifts his eyes to the other. A simple encouragement, one that Jae needs much.

It doesn’t make any of the chaos better. Mrs. Park suddenly stops in the middle of the courtroom and starts pleading with the judge.

“Please, maybe I married him only for the money, but I love my child. I really love it and if I don’t get any money out of this marriage, I’m done for good. I need it for my daughter. Please, this man can’t—”

“Can someone stop this woman?”

Bailiffs suddenly drag her from her spot back into her seat where Jae sees Brian hiding a smile behind his hand. This was planned, a last act to convince the judge of her innocence. Sungjin is the one with the stigma, one that paints him as the unreliable husband and father whereas she is only the it-girl who still took care of her child. Brian did a good job, one that probably costs Sungjin his child.

“How much are you willing to pay for custody?”

Sungjin’s head whips instantly to him when Jae asks him this in a whisper. Panic settles in his eyes.

“What do you mean? Are we loosing?!”

Jae puts his hand in front of his mouth to appear more inconspicuous, especially in front of Brian. He doesn’t need to see the big frown on Jae’s lips along to his shifting eyes.

“I’m sorry. I did what you told me to, but Brian isn’t listening to me. So that’s why I’m asking. If we want to settle, they have to hear us out. So, how much are you willing to pay?”

Sungjin buries his head between his hands. Inhale. Exhale. “Anything. I can’t live with myself if that witch gets custody.”

“Your honor!” Jae interrupts suddenly whatever the judge is doing at this moment. “My client is willing to negotiate with his wife. He has an offer that—”

“I don’t want to,” Mrs. Park suddenly snaps. “I want a fair verdict, that’s it.”

“But you haven’t heard—”

“My client said she doesn’t want to settle. So please sit down and wait for the judge’s verdict.”

And Jae does that. He sits down, waits, and then listens to the judge’s words.

And then he leaves.

~~~

The floor in front of his flat looks odd without the usual giftbox there. Jae stares and stares and ten minutes have probably already passed but he just can’t-- move away that is. Not when his fists are shaking, when his body trembles everywhere, not when his sight is blurred with tears.

Every time Jae has lost a case against Brian before, a small package would wait in front of his flat. He would take it in, ignore the card those message he knows by heart and look inside to find a really beautiful piece of jewelry. The first time it happened Jae found a beautiful necklace with a cross pendant in front of his door. The last time it happened Jae found a ticket to Monaco in front of his door.

Today nothing. Nothing new for the drawer where he keeps all the presents. Jae sinks down to his knees and pushes his fingers into his hair when the first sob leaves his mouth and then another. Ugly tears spill out of his eyes, running down his face along to the realization of how much he fucked up.

He lost the case. At least Sungjin gets shared custody but he still has to pay a horrendous sum to his ex-wife. The people at his firm throw Wonpil side-eyes because word travels fast and everyone needs to get a look at the homewrecker. And then there’s Brian. Jae had sworn him to destroy him, but now Jae knows that he only put a rift between them. Because he wouldn’t ever dare to destroy Brian.

That’s what love does to you. Small mistakes become grand failures if you only do what your client wants you to.

~~~

A soft knock against his door wakes Jae up from his light slumber. The clock says it’s just after two at night, his brain says maybe he should sleep a bit more. Jae lays his head back into his soft pillow, squeezing his eyes shut hard to get the haunting thoughts out of his mind. Just then another knock. With a grunt Jae stands up and walks to the door of his apartment.

“What is—”

The first thing he sees is an expensive bottle of Gin thrusted nearly into his face. Second is the man extending said bottle to him.

“Let me in?”

Sungjin looks worse for wear. He has bags under his eyes that are nearly black. A few strands of his hair stick out in an odd angle and his clothes are casual at best. Sungjin in sweatpants is a sight to behold as the younger prefers to dress ready for business at every time. Jae knows something’s up as soon as Sungjin settles on his sofa with a long sigh. The good friend that Jae is he pours them a drink from the bottle.

“How’ve you been?” Jae extends his branch and hopes Sungjin will take the whole tree. He hasn’t seen Sungjin for two weeks ever since the settlement. A painful procedure with no lawyer smiling and an ex-wife smug about her win.

“Honestly?” Sungjin takes a sip from his glass, sighing deeply after it. “Shit. Wonpil keeps ignoring my calls and messages, I lost half of my money to my ex-wife and people at work avoid me because I’m allegedly gay.”

Jae sinks back in his couch. Guilt is pressing on his shoulders. “I’m sorry—”

“No, no,” Sungjin stops Jae’s apologize immediately. “There’s nothing to feel sorry about. You did your best and I appreciate it. Okay, I was mad at you, but— I don’t know. Time put things into perspective, so I should be the one saying sorry. And thank you. Really.”

Such a good friend. Jae allows himself to smile a bit and feel the pressure ease up a bit. And maybe he can do that for Sungjin, too. “Wonpil will come around, promise. He’s not one to hold a grudge for long. And he loves you, really. The way he looks at you—”

“What about you?” Just then Sungjin extends a hand to let it rest on Jae’s shoulder. “Got another present? What was it this time? A new watch? Tickets to Rome?”

“No, no…” Jae chuckles wetly. He chokes on it as the tears come back to his eyes. “No present this time.”

“Really?”

The gin burns in his throat and stomach. It somehow brings him back to reality. Two o’clock at night with the friend who knows him best. Someone to catch his fall.

“Yeah.” A smile grows on Jae’s face. One that is all small and sad. His eyes gleam with unshed tears that he keeps working very hard on holding in. “But I can’t blame him, y’know? I fucked up. I told him that I’ll destroy his career if he wins the case. And that he can never have me then.”

“Oh…”

“And you know the funniest part?” Jae bends over until his head hits his knees, his hands tugging on his hair. “I’m worse than him. He never jeopardized our relationship or my career for his own advantage. He told me that he loves me, and I threw it back into his face.”

Sungjin’s hands grab his wrists and stop him from tearing out his hair. “You only did what I told you to.”

“And I hate him for doing what his clients tell him to. You get what I mean? This is some twisted—”

“You wanna know what I think?” The firmness in Sungjin’s voice makes Jae look up. His friend is serious, Jae has never seen him like that before. “We both are cowards for running away from the things we love because we want to keep—I don’t know, our money, jobs, power? Instead I should never have married her in the first place and fought for my daughter’s custody even before she was born. I never loved my ex like I should have, like I love Wonpil now. I’m about to lose the best things of my life because I’m a coward. And the same goes to you. You and Brian, you keep playing this push and pull thing that only hurt the other. Why aren’t you talking to him? Like, you guys made a profession out of talking so please talk to each other for once. Tell him that you love him, tell him everything from a to z. What you felt when he threw you out for the first time, what you felt when you came home from Monaco. If you don’t do that, how should he know otherwise?”

Jae could only stare at Sungjin in awe at the words that pour out of his mouth because Sungjin’s right. He is completely and one hundred percent right.

Jae is a coward. He hides between his glam and power and the games he plays with Brian because behind all of them lies a heart broken by so many incidents that are probably nothing more than misunderstandings. Brian can’t guess his feelings, hell, even Jae can’t read his own emotions.

Just as much as Jae can’t read Brian’s feelings.

“Then cheers to that.” Jae raises his glass, smiling at Sungjin. “Let’s fight for our men.” Jae tries his best to sound soft and warm for his friend. “Thank you for everything. I’m sure that Wonpil is missing you as much as you miss him, too. He’s coming around, he always comes around.”

“I hope so. I really hope so.”

~~~

The sight is one to behold. Jae’s finger skim over the glass, careful as not to leave a print. In front of him a whole city is covered in a blanket of darkness, but so many lights shine like stars on a clear night. It brings back so many emotions of his last starry night, one that makes his heartbeat faster. A glow of warmth fills him and suppresses the panic surging through his veins.

His talk with Sungjin made him think about so many things. Jae wants to do it right this time and finally stop running away. A fresh start for them, a chance for them to finally speak what is on their minds. It’s what they deserve.

“It’s a bit late for you to be here.”

Jae slowly turns around from the starry night to look at the beautiful sight behind him. Brian looks tired as if coming from a long and exhausting meeting. It’s late in the evening as the sun has already set and vanished behind the horizon.

“Better late than never,” Jae answers cheekily, but his smile vanishes as fast as it came with Brian looking so coldly at him. His eyes roam across the desk to avoid the intense stare until they latch onto the picture that Brian has still on his desk. Jae’s silhouette against the sunset, such a beautiful picture.

Brian quickly pushes the display down to hide it from Jae. It hurts. “What do you want? If you’re here to tell me that you’ll destroy—”

“I’m not.” Jae takes step forward. Brian takes one back. A desk between them. “I won’t ever—I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“That’s not what you—”

“I know.” Jae sighs deeply, tries another step forward. This time Brian doesn’t step back. “I’m actually here to talk to you about it. And about everything else.”

“What else is there to talk about?” Brian snorts not very kindly. Jae sees in his eyes how much he hurts. He wants to take it away from him.

His heart fastens its pace at the thought of what he is about to do. Brian’s hands are warm in his. It’s perfect how they fit between Jae’s, it’s perfect how Brian doesn’t take them away.

“I’m sorry,” Jae starts while he looks down to their intertwined hands. “I’m sorry for what I said back then. I was desperate and angry because this divorce was personal. I felt like you attacked me and not Sungjin. Sungjin’s my best friend, I saw him struggling in his marriage, and I promised him that I will avenge him in a way. But I couldn’t—because you did your job. You only did your job. Time put things into perspective for me. I would’ve done the same in your shoes.”

Brian’s eyes are skimming over his face. They shine in the light as if there are unshed tears. The hurt isn’t as prominent as before, something that lets Jae breathe a lot easier. And maybe if he gives Brian a small and warm smile, then he knows how sincere Jae is. That his words aren’t a scam and that he can trust him.

“Thank you,” Brian suddenly whispers softly. “It means a lot to me to hear that. I—”

“I’m not finished yet, Brian.”

Jae takes a deep breath before he continues, “If this—if we want to be together… things have to change. I can’t keep going on like things are. I don’t want to second-guess every romantic gesture as something different because it hurts doing so. You only gift me things if you won a case and I interpreted it as you mocking me instead of an apologize. You take me to Monaco and gift me the time of my life, only that once I’m back I have to hear that it was just a scam to get me off your case. I sleep with you and you close the door in my face with an easy-going smile as if it never meant anything to you. I—I stopped listening to what you are telling me because I was afraid that I misunderstand you. And then I did it anyway.”

“Jae…” Brian suddenly cups his cheeks with his hands and looks deeply into his eyes. His face is set in determination and sorrow and so much fondness. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that you feel like this. I—Seeing you on the other side of my door always tears me apart. I thought you didn’t love me when we had sex the first time because you hated me in College. And then you came back and again and I started to hope that you reciprocate my feelings, only that you always pulled away as soon as I tried to confront you. I didn’t want you to know how much it hurt me. How much you hurt me. I only want you to look at me. And you only look at me when I fight against you in court. And Monaco was never to hurt you. I never thought that you would come, so I told my client that I’d work as long as I’m there. How could I have known that you didn’t do the same?”

A single tear escapes Jae’s eyes. And then another. He starts laughing wetly when Brian, too, starts shedding tears. “We’re idiots, aren’t we? We should have talked earlier, then all this shit wouldn’t have happened.”

“Better late than never,” Brian echoes Jae’s words before he leans up to catch his lips in a short and sweet kiss. It’s one of the sorts that stops the flow of tears and fills every part of his body with warmth and excitement. It’s nothing less than perfect to feel Brian’s lips slotting against his.

“I love you,” Jae whispers once they break apart. He leans his forehead against Brian’s and caresses his nose with his own.

“I love you, too,” Brian replies just as soft and leans in once again.

They kiss and kiss and kiss until minutes pass and nothing more. They bask in each other’s embraces, warmth and softness. It feels good. It feels perfect. It’s Brian then who stops their kiss and looks up into Jae’s eyes.

“How will we work against each other from now on? I still have a job to do and I won’t take a step back just because you are—”

Jae shuts him up with another kiss, then with a soft smile on his lips. His fingers tuck a strand of hair away from Brian’s face, putting some distance between them.

“We’ll make it work anyhow. But… What do you think about L.A.?”

“Huh? What about it?”

Jae cocks his head and broadens his smile. He likes how Brian’s own face lights up at this.

“Wasn’t it you who said that he likes to change scenery from time to time? So, how about L.A.?”

Brian’s grip around his waist tightens as his eyes widen. “You aren’t telling me that—”

“We won’t have to work against each other if we work together, right? We made a name for ourselves here in New York, so maybe it makes things easier to start in some firm in L.A. Or maybe we start something on our own as partners.”

“That’s crazy,” Brian says with a bright grin on his face. Jae loves it, so he kisses the smiling lips with one of his own. “But I’m in. With you.”

“I already have tickets. Flight tomorrow night. We can scout some places if you want to. Or we take some time off together and just breathe for a moment.”

“I’d very much like that. Both of those things.” Their noses meet again, their breaths mingling, their hearts beating in sync. “I love you, Jae.”

“I love you, Younghyun.”

And behind them a sea of stars that shines brighter than ever before.

_The end_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading it!
> 
> Find me on Twitter under [@ordernchaos2](https://twitter.com/ordernchaos2) and curiouscat [@ordernchaos2](https://curiouscat.me/ordernchaos2)! Scream, write or ask me anything!

**Author's Note:**

> Finally you can find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ordernchaos2) and [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/ordernchaos2)! Scream, write or ask my anything, I'm open for every topic!
> 
> Next chapter should be up by tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, depends on how much work I have to do!


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